Air conditioned seats are known from the automotive industry and aircraft construction. A customary arrangement consists of a seat provided with at least one device for the supply of air whose seat and backrest surfaces are each provided on the side facing the passengers with air outlets or with an air-permeable fabric structure. The air supply device typically includes a fan arranged in the seat surface and one in the backrest surface, each of which draws in air from the environment and directs it through air ducts in the seat to the surfaces facing a person sitting in the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,024 describes a ventilated seat that is equipped with a fan device beneath a seat surface and one in a backrest surface. Each of the fan devices draws air out of the seat through openings in the seat and backrest surfaces and discharges it to the environment.
A ventilated vehicle seat is also known from DE 196 34 370 A1. The vehicle seat includes a backrest that has a backrest cushion and a backrest cover that covers the rear side thereof. The backrest further includes a ventilating device for the backrest cushion that has a hollow space extending between the backrest cushion and the backrest cover and, located in the hollow space, a fan with a fan inlet and fan outlet. The fan is arranged in the bottom part of the hollow space closer to the underside of the backrest, and its fan input is connected to an air shaft that runs along the backrest cover to the underside of the backrest where it has an air inlet.
Such conventional conditioned seats have drawbacks in that the fans and air ducts create undesirable levels of noise. Thus, there exists a need for an air conditioned seat, or an air conditioning apparatus for a ventilated seat, that is characterized by simple, low-noise and draft-free air circulation.